By A Correspondent

Harare – A 40-year-old businessman, Joseph Maruta, is counting his losses after waking up to find his loaded firearm and nearly US$185,000 in cash missing while spending the night at his girlfriend’s house in Ruwa.

The incident occurred on Saturday after Maruta had returned from Kwekwe, where he had collected US$181,000 from a client at a farm he supplies with potato seeds. Upon arrival back in Harare, Maruta briefly stopped at his home in Kambuzuma to collect his pistol before heading to his girlfriend Leoba Hunda’s residence in Springvale, Ruwa.

He brought with him a bag containing the large sum of cash and a loaded firearm, which had two magazines of 15 rounds each. According to Maruta, once he entered the house, his girlfriend locked the door and the two went to bed.

Around 2 AM, Maruta said he was awoken by the sound of an alarm. Leoba left the room to investigate and returned claiming the alarm had gone off at a neighbour’s house. However, the situation took a drastic turn when he woke up later in the morning to find the bag containing both the money and the gun missing.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has since launched an investigation into the matter. Confirming the case, Harare Province police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza said police are investigating an unlawful entry and theft case in Ruwa. He further revealed that they noticed the complainant’s rear windscreen was damaged, which could have been used as an access point. The complainant lost his firearm and a total of US$184,900, he said.